Ranma: Consequences
by Snafu the Great
Summary: Fourth in the Consequences Series. When Nabiki's debts are called in, the Tendous stand to lose their home and it's up to Ranma to save the day. Only problem is that Nabiki's pride and Akane's rage had almost killed Ranma six years earlier. This story chronicles the downfall of the Tendous, Genma Saotome, and the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts.
1. Chapter 1

**Ranma ½: Consequences (Revamped)**

A Ranma Fanfiction

By Snafu the Great

Snafu's Disclaimer: I don't own squat. Takahashi owns Ranma. The only thing I do own are my OCs for this fanfic.

**Ranma ½: Consequences** is the fourth in the Consequences series (the first three being Love Hina, Naruto and Game of Thrones respectively). Ironically, the idea to write the Consequences series came from a story with the same title by GuyverChaz. Once again, nothing is out of bounds, as we got bashing galore. This fanfic will chronicle the downfall of the Tendou family, Genma Saotome and the Anything Goes School. All of it being Nabiki's fault...and to an extension, Soun's fault for the secrets he kept regarding his family.

Oh, and this fanfic will have bashing to rival even my previous Ranma fanfic, **Pride Comes Before The Fall**.

UPDATE: This is a revamped version of the original story, which has elements of **Pride Comes Before The Fall** which I had cut out from the final story, as well as bits and pieces from a Ranma-gets-crippled-and-abandoned fanfic I was originally working on before focusing on Pride. Second, in honor of **Hokuto no Ken/Fist of the North Star** I've changed the last name of Nodoka's family from Himura to Mamiya. Could also count as an obscure **Sweet Home** reference as well.

Also, the original character Yuni Kurosawa is modeled after the Indonesian actress Julie Estelle (Alicia the Hammer Girl in The Raid 2/Berandal).

**Part One**

_"I will hurt you for this. A day will come when you think you are safe and happy, and your joy will turn to ashes in your mouth. And you will know that the debt is paid."_

\- Tyrion Lannister, Game of Thrones

Tokyo General Hospital – six months after the failed wedding.

"By all accounts, Lady Mamiya, your son should have nearly died from the injuries he had sustained three days ago," the doctor said to the woman. "He has multiple lacerations, both clavicles broken, internal bleeding, and a cracked skull from being struck with a heavy wooden object. He flatlined on the operating table, but we were able to revive him. It will take some time, but he will recover."

The woman, a matronly female in her late thirties, dark hair in a bun, clad in a kimono, gripped her katana as she nodded, her face grim. "My son is a fighter. Giving up is not in his nature."

The doctor nodded. "Indeed. He is truly your son, Lady Mamiya. Do you have any idea as to who have done this to your son?"

The woman nodded. "Given as to who my son's enemies are, I think I have some pretty good ideas as to who did this to him. In the meantime, no one from Nerima – not my soon-to-be ex-husband, his idiot friend or his family, anyone – is to know where he is. Understood?"

The doctor nodded and returned to the intensive care unit to look after his patient.

The woman, one Nodoka Saotome – make that Nodoka Mamiya – took one last look at the ICU before turning on her heels and stalking out of the hospital.

She had been out visiting friends in Osaka when the call came in. Her son was in the hospital. She immediately returned to Tokyo, where her son was being treated at one of the hospitals there. Her cellphone chirped from within the kimono's obi. She stopped for a moment and retrieved it. Seeing the number as one of her contacts from Nerima, she answered the phone. "Maki? What have you got for me?"

"It's been confirmed," her contact said. "The Tendou girl was the one responsible for Ranma's attack. She hasn't been quite subtle about sprouting off her success."

"Which one?"

"The middle child, Nabiki orchestrated the attack, while it was Akane who tried to cave his head in."

Nodoka's blood ran cold. "Explain."

Maki gave Nodoka a brief explanation of how Genma threatened to throw Ranma out of the clan and of that accursed martial arts school should he not marry Akane. Of how Ranma told him to stuff it and terminated the engagement, as he had enough of the madness that his father was partially responsible for. Of how he told Nabiki off when she reminded him of his debt to her. And of how Nabiki had called the fiancees and rivals, saying that Ranma had an engagement ring and of how Ranma was going to fight them all at once.

The assault was indeed brutal. Happousai had used the moxibuston point on Ranma, allowing her son's enemies and Akane to gain the advantage. It was only because of the Joketsuzoku matriarch Cologne and Ukyou Kuonji that her son was still alive after knocking the attacking suitors back and both women had taken Ranma to Tokyo General Hospital.

Nodoka nodded and hanged up the phone.

"So how is he?"

The voice of the aforementioned matriarch brought the murderous thoughts of Nodoka to a halt. The katana-wielding woman turned to the old woman who sat on top of her cane. "It's bad, but Ranma will pull through." She bowed. "Elder, thank you for your assistance in bringing my son to get help."

Cologne nodded. "Given the kind of power that sonny boy wields and who your family is, it's safe to stay on the right hand of the devil, rather than be in her path." Off Nodoka's raised eyebrow, Cologne continued. "Oh yes, I know who you are, Nodoka Mamiya. You are known in the kendo circles as the 'Devil Swordswoman of the Mamiya,' due to your uncanny talents with the sword, and the youngest child of Takeshi Mamiya, the head of the most powerful company in Japan. The Mamiya clan is descended from the Japanese warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi and his concubine, Yodo. So why the ruse of a ditzy housewife obsessed with manliness?"

"I see unlike Nabiki, you do your homework, Elder. Not even Genma nor the Tendous know my background. As for my cover, it was to keep Genma in line," Nodoka replied. "Of course, I now see that part of this is my fault. I should have terminated this engagement long ago. That old hentai used the moxibustion point on Ranma."

Cologne nodded as she connected the dots. "I see. Attacking an ally of the Chinese Amazons is a very serious offense. Mousse and Shampoo will soon see the error of their ways soon enough," she said, remembering the cat and the duck, who was currently locked inside cages back at the Nekohanten.

"It was Nabiki," Nodoka said, knowing full well of the Ice Queen's reputation as a wannabe mob boss in Nerima. "Nabiki was the main person responsible. This has gone on long enough. Excuse me, Elder. I have some unfinished business to take care of."

As Nodoka entered into a waiting sedan, she retrieved her cellphone and dialed a number.

"Akira Mamiya."

"Brother, it's me."

"Nodoka-chan. How is Ranma?"

"It's bad, but he will recover. He is truly a Mamiya. He never gives up. Contact Azumi and have her draw up restraining orders on the following people: Genma Saotome. Soun Tendou. Akane Tendou. Kasumi Tendou. And Nabiki Tendou. Also, I want Azumi to meet me at the Tendou home when I deal with the mess that Genma has gotten my son into...and tell her to bring the info on the Tendou family."

"Concerning Soun's wife?"

"Yes," Nodoka replied. She had stumbled onto the files regarding Kazume Tendou days before following an inquiry into the Tendou clan, since some of Soun's claims did not add up. "And make sure those divorce papers are filed as well."

"It will be done. Anything else?"

"Yes. I want Happousai dead," Nodoka deadpanned. "He almost killed my son, your nephew, out of spite. I know his weakness, and we will use that to our advantage."

"Of course. You do have a plan for that, do you?"

"Yes. I will tell you how we will do that later once my business with the Tendous is completed."

* * *

Nerima Ward, outside the Tendou Home, later.

Nodoka Mamiya emerged from the back seat of the sedan. Rather than the kimono, she was dressed in a business suit (ala Mature's business suit from the recent King of Fighters), but still retained her katana. Waiting for her in a second sedan was her sister-in-law, Azumi Mamiya. The wife of her elder brother Akira, she was a high-powered attorney within the Mamiya clan.

Unlike Nodoka, she was still wearing a kimono, while carrying a briefcase.

Nodoka acknowledged Azumi with a nod and together, the pair walked to the front door. Rather than ringing the doorbell, Nodoka calmly unsheathed her katana.

"Mamiya-ryu ougi...Zantetsuken!"

Three flashes of light was all that anyone had seen, right before the wooden gates splintered and fell to pieces. Stepping through the rubble, they entered the compound.

The eldest daughter, Kasumi Tendou, was out doing the shopping for the dinner, but the two men were there, playing shougi on the engawa. Katana still drawn, Nodoka got their attention by splitting the board in two.

"Genma...Soun...my son is in the hospital with life-threatening injuries. I want names...I want a confession...now."

The rotund Saotome tried to stand up to his wife. "Now see here, wife..."

That was all he managed to get out, as in a flash, he felt Nodoka's katana resting against his throat. Genma's eyes went wide. 'How...? She is not skilled with the sword! How can she move so fast?'

"My patience is wearing thin, Genma," Nodoka said. "Sit down and shut up."

Genma did as he was told.

With Genma humbled, Nodoka introduced her sister-in-law. "This is Azumi Mamiya...lawyer to the Mamiya clan...and my sister-in-law."

The look on the men's faces said it all. The Mamiya clan was one of the most powerful clans in all of Japan. Not even the Yakuza, the Russian Mafiya and Chinese Triads dared not to cross them. It was said of the Mamiya that they wrote the book on Japanese vendetta. Then, the dawning realization washed over Genma and Soun. Nodoka was a member of the Mamiya...which means Ranma was also part of the family, as she was his son.

If the situation wasn't so dire, Genma and Soun would be dancing with glee.

"I'm waiting. Who did this to Ranma?" Nodoka demanded. Of course she already knew, but she wanted to see if they would tell her the truth. Should they lie, then they start losing limbs.

Soun was the first to fold. "It was Nabiki! She planned the entire thing!"

Without removing her blade from Genma's throat, Nodoka turned her head and faced Soun. "Explain."

"Ranma refused to be her whipping boy any longer, so in her words, decided to teach Ranma a lesson. She had the rivals, the Master, and the suitors jump Ranma when he tried to leave Nerima by declaring that he had an engagement ring. When we threatened to expel him from the schools and from his family, he didn't care."

"And you, as her father, did nothing to stop this from happening?" Nodoka demanded, now livid. When no answer was given, Nodoka nodded to Azumi, who proceeded to hand over the divorce papers to Genma. "Genma Saotome, I have stood by and watched you berate and sell out my son. You have failed as a father, as well as a husband. And what gives you the right to disown my son?"

Genma got back his courage. "Now, No-chan, what we did was for the boy's own good! It was for the sake of the art! We will let him back into the school when he begs for forgiveness and marry Akane."

In a flash, Nodoka's hand clamped down on Genma's throat. Genma and Soun could make out the red aura surrounding Nodoka. Soun backed away from his friend. Even he knew 'about-to-snap' when he saw it.

"For his own good?! FOR HIS OWN GOOD?!" Nodoka screamed.

Nodoka then proceeded to beat her soon-to-be ex-husband within an inch of his life. By the time she was done, Genma was out cold. Forget Tofuu, he had to be taken to a hospital.

Nodoka then whirled on Soun. "This farce of an engagement has gone on for long enough! I will not allow this to continue!"

"Wait! Genma promised me that the schools will be united!" Soun objected.

"Too bad. I am terminating that promise. Genma is not clan head, Tendou. I am. Not only is the Tendou agreement is dissolved, but the remaining engagements are dissolved as well."

That did not sit well for Soun. He went into Demon Head mode. "I forbid it! Ranma will marry my Akane and carry on the schools!"

**POP.**

Nodoka deflated Soun's Demon Head with her katana. "My son has a right to live his own life, something that has not been given to him, thanks to your and Genma's scheming, as well as the other rivals and suitors. You have no say in this, Tendou." When it looked like Soun was going to argue, Nodoka pulled out her trump card. "Unless you want all of Nerima to find out about your wife, then you will accept my decision in this matter."

Soun froze in his tracks.

Nodoka smiled. She had him where she wanted him. "The resources of the Mamiya clan are endless, Tendou. Did you really think that I would allow this pathetic little engagement to continue? Now, the Mamiya clan have no problems with the Ainu...but I'm willing to bet that most of the people Nerima might. Some of them barely can tolerate the Chinese Amazons, solely because Shampoo flaunts herself like a cheap whore...which surprisingly was your wife's previous occupation."

Soun gulped. Not even Genma knew about that little detail in regards to Kazume, let alone their children.

"You only married her because she was pregnant with Kasumi," Nodoka continued, twisting the knife. "I'm also willing to bet that your daughters doesn't know that they're half-breeds, much less your own children, since Kazume cheated on you throughout your marriage. In fact, DNA testing proved that while Kasumi is in fact your daughter, Nabiki and Akane are not, with the both of them having two different fathers; Nabiki's father being that of a Russian businessman and Akane's father a South Korean soldier who was on leave. Better be thankful that they look a lot like Kazume. This can very well destroy your family Tendou. The half-breed bastard daughters of an Ainu whore with a cuckold for a husband. Some legacy, Tendou."

Soun sighed. What Nodoka said was indeed true. Of course he knew that Nabiki and Akane were not his children. Of course he knew of Kazume's adulterous liaisons. And of course he got off on that fact. Nodoka had him by the balls. "What do you want in exchange for you silence?"

Nodoka didn't budge. "You know what I want, Tendou. Accept my decision, and I will keep silent on this matter."

Soun slowly nodded. "I agree to your terms."

Another glance from Nodoka and Azumi pulled out several more sheets of paper. As the Mamiya clan lawyer placed them in front of Soun, Nodoka continued to speak. "Sign the papers and seal them with your hanko, Tendou. This is an agreement made by your family and the Mamiya clan. Neither you, nor your children will come within 30 feet of my son. Failure to comply will result in severe consequences."

Soun did as he was ordered to do.

"Make sure these are filed by the end of the day," Nodoka said as Azumi picked up the documents. "And make sure that Soun gets a copy of the documents by the end of the week." After looking around for a moment, Nodoka asked, "Where are your daughters?"

Soun gulped again. This was not going to end well.

* * *

Outside the Tendou compound...

Nabiki Tendou did not like being kept out of the loop.

It had been three days and no one knew where Ranma was. All with the exception of Cologne, who refused to say anything and Ukyou, who threatened bodily harm to both Tendou girls.

It all came down three days ago – six months following the failed wedding. Genma and Soun had demanded that Ranma should marry Akane and unite the schools. Nabiki wanted more photos of Ranma's cursed form to sell to Kunou.

Ultimately, Ranma had enough. In the months following the incident with Saffron and the Phoenix tribe, Ranma had been showing plenty of backbone towards his tormentors, including Happousai. Genma threatened to disown Ranma and Soun threatened to throw Ranma out of the house. But Ranma would not budge. When it became clear that Ranma was planning to leave Nerima, that alarmed Nabiki. She did not care about the joining of the schools, or the engagement. All she cared about was losing her cash cow.

First, she offered Ranma 15 percent of her earnings. He refused. Then she threatened to make his life hell. Much to her surprise, Ranma simply laughed in her face and told her she accomplished that with her moneymaking schemes and her manipulating bad situations into worst ones. When she tried to force him to pay for the failed wedding (of which she was responsible for ruining, as it would benefit her more with Ranma still being single), Ranma told her to fuck off and left the house.

Furious, Nabiki decided to teach him a lesson. In full view of Genma and Soun, she called the other fiancees and told them that Ranma had another engagement ring. To the fathers, she said that Ranma was terminating the engagement. To Akane, Nabiki said that Ranma had another girl on the side. To the rivals, she said that Ranma was going to fight them all at the same time.

What she didn't expect was Happousai to jump in and use the moxibustion point.

In the end, Ranma had been beaten down by Kunou, Mousse,and Ryouga, with Akane cracking his skull for good measure. But it was Ukyou and Cologne who had taken Ranma to the hospital. First, it was Nerima General, then Ranma was transferred to another hospital. Who ordered the transfer Nabiki did not know.

What she did know was that the bodies of Kunou, his sister and their father were found inside their home earlier today. Cause of death was ritual suicide. When she demanded answers from Sasuke, the mousy ninja/retainer replied that he could not tell on pain of death.

Upon arriving at the Tendou home, they saw two sedans parked outside, with two men chatting with one another. The wooden gate had been destroyed, as it someone had destroyed it with a katana.

Expecting the worst, Nabiki and Akane entered the home, where they found Soun and Nodoka at the dinner table. Soun looked scared out of his mind, while Nodoka was furious. There was a third person, a woman in a kimono carrying a briefcase. It wasn't another fiancee as she looked to be about Nodoka's age. The first thing that the girls noticed was that Nodoka was dressed like a businesswoman. The second was that her katana was drawn. Third, there was a small bundle at Nodoka's feet.

Nodoka pointed to the two chairs. "Both of you. Sit."

With a wary eye, Nabiki and Akane sat down. "What's the meaning of this, Nodoka?" Nabiki demanded, her Ice Queen persona at the front of the furious matriarch.

"Ranma is in the hospital," Nodoka replied with restrained fury. "Ranma is in the hospital with life-threatening injuries. He almost died because of your damned pride. What I want to know is why."

While Akane indifferent, Nabiki looked smug, as if she was pleased in bringing down Ranma a notch. "So what if I did? He needs to know what his limits are. No one crosses me, Nodoka."

**CRACK.**

In a flash, Nodoka was on her feet, and Nabiki was on the floor, courtesy of a punch to the jaw from Nodoka. The middle Tendou found herself being picked up from the ground by the throat and slammed up against the wall. This was not what Nabiki had thought of when it came to Nodoka. She was supposed to be a ditzy, manliness-obsessed housewife. But she moved like a martial artist, and hit just as hard as well.

Akane tried to intervene, but a glare from Nodoka stopped her in her tracks. Her unspoken threat made it clear: One step closer and you lose your head.

"There is no excuse for what you have done. The Tendou-Saotome pact is now null and void. Your father has already agreed to my demands. There is also the restraining orders placed against you and Akane. I will have the both of you arrested if you come near my son ever again."

She released Nabiki, who wiped the blood from her lip. As Nodoka turned to her lawyer, Nabiki spoke. "Before you go, there is the matter of the debt Ranma owes me."

Nodoka slowly turned around. "Excuse me?" she said in a cold tone.

"Services rendered," Nabiki replied. "The total was 1.4 million yen, but since he missed the photo shoot and failed to repay me for the wedding that Genma and Daddy had me set up, not to mention the disrespect he showed me, the total comes to 29 million yen."

Behind Nodoka, Azumi scoffed.

"There is no debt, as far as I'm concerned," Nodoka replied. "With the photos and videos you made of Ranma, not to mention that Akane lacks self-control in the art, you have made enough money off of my son. I want the photos and videos of my son in both of his forms destroyed immediately."

"Are you threatening me, Nodoka? You really shouldn't. Look what happened to your son," Nabiki replied, her expression still smug despite the busted lip.

Nabiki regretted those words, as she felt cold steel resting up against her throat. Nodoka had her katana drawn, and the razor sharp blade was resting up against her carotid artery.

"Listen well, Nabiki Tendou," Nodoka said in a cold tone. "I am not in the mood for your antics. Because of you and your younger sister, my son is in the hospital. If he dies, then I will return and I will kill both you and Akane while your father and elder sister watch. **That's** a threat. See the difference?"

"For God's sakes, child! Do as she says!" Soun pleaded.

"Listen to your spineless father, girl," Nodoka said. "Make the wrong choice and you will not live long enough to regret your decision."

To drive her point home, Nodoka turned to Azumi and nodded. The lawyer picked up the small bag and upended the contents over the table.

A broken wooden bokken. A mangled pair of hair shears. And a torn ribbon tied to a bent gymnastic pin.

Soun's eyes widened in horror as he saw the significance of the items. He had heard that the Kunou family was found dead inside their home earlier that day. Now he knew why.

Nodoka had forced them to commit seppuku.

"I see you're not as dense as I pegged you, Soun," Nodoka confirmed. "It's indeed true. Once I've confronted the Kunous on their crimes towards my son and that he was a member of the Mamiya clan, they chose to surrender to the knife to regain their lost honor rather than face the Mamiya clan in a blood feud."

Nabiki's eyes went wide. The Mamiya clan was the richest – and in most cases, the most ruthless – clans in all of Japan. Even the Yakuza and the Chinese Triad stationed in Japan had the good sense not to screw with them. It was said of the Mamiya that the Sicilian Mafia may have invented vendetta, but the House of Mamiya had made it into an art form.

And she just pissed off the wrong Mamiya by nearly killing her son.

There was an incident surrounding the Mamiya clan, in which a Yakuza had tried to muscle in on the Mamiya Clan's business interests. When the Yakuza threatened the Mamiya, even going as fas as to send some of their members to the hospital and killing one of their numbers, the reprisal was brutal.

Instead of directly going after the Yakuza chieftain himself, the Mamiya had instead put his whole family to the sword, as well as the group he led. The Mamiya's reasoning? "So there would be no one left alive to seek revenge," all the while leaving the Yakuza chief alive. He had committed suicide shortly thereafter. The incident showed that the Mamiya were not to be messed with.

"Yes, Nabiki," Nodoka continued. "I am part of the Mamiya clan. Which means that Ranma is also part of the clan. Genma has no authority over Ranma. He just thinks he does. I am clan head, not him. Either destroy those photos and videos of my son...or else you, and your family will join the Kunou clan in hell. You don't believe me, then ask Sasuke, as he was the one who witnessed the ceremony."

Nabiki felt the katana draw a small trickle of blood. "Or...I can just kill you now for the slights against my son, and I will not be in the wrong. I take the heads of both you and Akane and the police will stand aside and let me walk out of here scot-free. What do you say? How much is your life worth to you? Either destroy the photos and videos of my son...or you, your father, and your sister will commit seppuku before the day is done. Or maybe...you can spend the next fifteen to thirty years in jail. I heard that the Japanese government has grown very strict when it comes to racketeering charges. Kind of similar to the Americans' RICO charges. Make your choice."

"Okay, okay. I'll destroy the photos and videos," Nabiki said, now scared out of her mind.

"For your sake, you better," Nodoka replied. "I have eyes and ears in Nerima, so they will let me know if you did it nor not. The next time I come back here, it will not be pleasant." To Soun, she said, "When Genma wakes up, tell him that he is no longer welcome at my home...if he wishes to keep his head."

She sheathed her katana and walked out, with Azumi following behind.

"Dad, you're going to let Nodoka get away with this?" Akane demanded.

"We have no choice," Soun replied. "Not against the Mamiya clan. They would destroy us and not lose any sleep over it. We have to deal with this in our own way."

Nabiki thought about not following through with her bargain. But the evidence was there to see. Kunou and his family were dead. And with the threat of legal action hanging over her head, Nabiki valued her freedom more than money.

Sighing, she walked upstairs and into her room, where she proceeded to do as what Nodoka had demanded.

Soun, in the meantime, had remained seated. He knew that Kazume had cheated on him throughout their marriage, and suspected that Nabiki and Akane were not his children. Nodoka had all but verified it. But his hands were tied. Were this secret ever to get out to the public, he would lose face and more than likely, be chased out of Nerima.

He did the honorable thing by marrying Kazume, but she used it against him. The girls shared the same mother, but their fathers were different.

And the fact that he had married an Ainu woman...

...aside from the burakumin, the indigenous people of northern Hokkaido have been dealing with serious discrimination to the point that they had to hide their ancestry. Happi hated the Ainu with a passion. The reason being was that he was cursed to his present state by an Ainu temple maiden after the old pervert had glomped onto her chest. Genma was not too fond of the Ainu as well, and made his hatred of the people known.

In the end, he decided to keep his mouth shut. Better to let the secret die with him rather than to let Nodoka use it against him, not to mention the fallout of such a secret were it to be revealed to the public. They would be lucky if they would make it out of Nerima alive. Worst case scenario is that they beat Nabiki down within an inch of her life for her extortion tactics.

Or both Akane and Nabiki try to kill him for keeping such a secret.

Snafu's Notes: The Ainu are Japan's indigenous population who reside in the Hokkaido region. Like Japan's Burakumin, the Ainu had dealt with discrimination from the Japanese people, despite a landmark law enacted in 1997 that for the first time recognizes their culture as unique and officially promotes their rights. In this story, Nodoka recently found out about Soun's deceased wife and uses it against him, as Nerima is in this story, particularly xenophobic to the Ainu.


	2. Chapter 2

**Part Two**

Nerima Ward – Six years after the failed wedding.

The woman looked at the sign outside the compound.

**TENDOU SCHOOL OF INDISCRIMINATE GRAPPLING – All Challengers Use Side Gate.**

The woman snorted at the sign. Even she knew that the school that was once known as Anything Goes had lost what little face it had left. He was simply here on business. The woman was in her late twenties, exotic, as she was the result of a union between a Japanese yakuza enforcer and his French-Indonesian wife. She moved with the grace of a martial artist – as she had been trained by both parents; her father in Kyokushin Karate, while her mother trained her in Silat – and had the build of one, but her eyes showed deadly intelligence. She was dressed simply, a business suit (Vice's business suit), the shirt red.

The reason why she was here was that one of the members of the Tendou family owed him a debt, which she decided to collect personally.

The woman stepped up to the front gate and rang the bell. Seconds later, the gate opened, revealing the gentle soul of the house, Kasumi Tendou.

"Oh my, a visitor." Kasumi bowed. "Welcome to the Tendou Dojo. How may I help you?"

The woman bowed in response. The woman was polite to her, so she decided to give Kasumi the same courtesy. Not because of honor, but because of respect. "I am here to see Nabiki Tendou. Is she here?"

Kasumi nodded. "She is inside," she replied, stepping to the side to allow the woman to enter. "May I ask your name please?"

"Kurosawa," the woman replied. "Yuni Kurosawa."

* * *

Inside the Tendou home, Nabiki Tendou was going through the family's food budget for the month. Her father and Genma Saotome were as usual, playing Shogi on the engawa. Akane was inside the dojo, breaking bricks.

In the six years following the failed wedding, the family was still struggling. Even with Kasumi's catering service, the Tendous were barely making enough money to stay in the black. Nabiki had lost all of her rackets to a rival with government-backed connections and was forced to pay them the lion's share of her profits. When Nabiki tried to start a new racket without her rival's knowledge, she had the former Ice Queen kicked out of Waseda and blacklisted. Nabiki had told her father that Genma had to go or get a job to help with the finances. Soun flatly refused, saying that honor demanded that Genma should be treated as a guest...despite the fact that Genma was putting the family in the red with his eating habits and their pub crawls. But her father didn't care.

Akane helped out the family by working part-time as a waitress at a restaurant, while Nabiki worked the books for Kasumi's catering service. But it still wasn't enough.

"Nabiki, there is someone here to see you," Kasumi said as she entered the room, with Yuni behind her. "A Miss Yuni Kurosawa."

The abacus that Nabiki was holding in her hand clattered to the table as Yuni sat on the opposite end of the table, the spot that Soun would usually be seated at. Yuni accepted Kasumi's tea with a nod, enjoying the uncomfortable look on Nabiki's face as she sipped at Kasumi's tea. Kasumi had returned to the kitchen to finish up dinner.

Genma and Soun noticed the newcomer and stopped their game of shogi, Genma switching the pieces around when Soun wasn't looking. They also noticed that Nabiki's businesslike demeanor was replaced with something foreign.

Fear.

Yuni finished her tea, flipped the cup over and placed it face-down in the saucer. "I take it you know why I am here, Nabiki?" Yuni began.

"Daughter, who is this woman?" Soun asked as he and Genma sat down.

"Permit me to introduce myself," Yuni began. She placed her palms on the table and bowed. "I am Yuni Kurosawa. Martial artist...and businesswoman."

It was at that moment, that the youngest of the Tendou sisters made her presence known. Akane Tendou entered the room, only to see her father and middle sister seated at the table with Genma and an unknown woman in a business suit. Akane saw that the woman was obviously a martial artist, but remained on her guard.

Yuni turned to Nabiki. "Where's my money, Nabiki?" Yuni demanded.

Nabiki swallowed. She had the money raised to pay Yuni back, but her idiot father and his friend had blown it on their last three-day outing to the bar.

"Money?" Soun repeated. "What money are you talking about?"

"Your daughter has borrowed quite a bit of money from me two months ago," Yuni explained. "But it appears that she does not have it."

"I had the money," Nabiki finally said in her defense. She then glared at her father and Genma. "But these two spent it all on booze and food."

"Now, Nabiki, I'm sure that Yuni can be reasonable," attempted Soun. Genma had told him that he had some money stashed away for emergencies. How was he supposed to know that Genma had stolen it from Nabiki to fund their latest pub-crawl?

"Reasonable?" Nabiki repeated. "She gave me five months to pay it back, which would have been paid for sooner if that lazy panda got off his ass and helped around the house."

"Nabiki!" Soun admonished. "I told you before that he is a guest and will be treated as such! Honor demands it!"

Nabiki didn't back down. "He's a drain on the resources!" she shouted, pointing at Genma. "He eats more than all of us combined! Honor be damned! Either he pulls his own weight or throw him out!"

Soun rose to his feet. "Nabiki –"

Soun was cut off by Yuni clearing her throat. "As much as I would like to watch this little soap opera play out, there is still the debt that Nabiki owes to me."

Turning away from her father, Nabiki focused her attention back onto Yuni. "I need more time," she said.

Yuni shook her head. "No more time, Tendou. It's time to pay the piper." She folded his arms across her chest. "Three months ago, you took out a loan for 76,500,000 yen. Add late fees, not paying me off immediately, and interest...the total comes to 97,500,000 yen."

"Ninety-seven-point-five million yen?!" Akane shouted, rising to her feet. "Are you out of your mind?! We don't have that kind of money!"

"Actually, you do," Yuni replied, pulling out a sheet of paper and placing it on the table. Soun recognized his hanko imprint on the paper. Yuni's hanko was also seen. "Your daughter has placed the house and dojo up as collateral. I'm here to collect. Since you don't have the money, your home and dojo is forfeit."

Following those words, all hell broke loose.

Nabiki and Kasumi got out of the way as Akane, Genma, and Soun attacked. Yuni quickly rose from the seiza position and punted the table at Soun, taking him out of the fight. Yuni found herself double-teamed by Genma and Akane.

Yuni saw that Genma was the bigger threat, and moved to take him out of the fight. A kick to the nuts followed by a hard blow to the face was all that was needed to put down the rotund martial artist, which left Akane.

When Yuni saw Akane coming at her with her mallet, she smiled and reached behind her back. As Akane brought the mallet down, Yuni sidestepped, and Akane felt a sharp stab of pain in her right arm. Then she saw the mallet head fall to the ground, having been sliced off by Yuni's karambit.

As she was a practitioner of Silat (having been trained by her mother), Yuni was incredibly lethal in the style. Especially when it came to knives. The karambits she wielded belonged to her mother, and Akane found out that she was incredibly dangerous with the weapons.

Genma knew this the hard way, as he and Ranma had spent time in Indonesia during the training trip. Akane was now on the defensive, dodging Yuni's karambit swipes and thrusts. Akane cried out in pain again as the curved blades found their mark on her arms and legs.

As Akane staggered back from the pain, Yuni decided to end the match with a swift kick to the head. Akane went down.

It was over in less than two minutes.

"Well, that escalated quickly," Yuni said, barely winded, looking at Genma, still crumpled in a ball, holding his crotch, while Kasumi was tending to Akane's cuts. She turned to Nabiki. "What has happened here was your fault in not keeping your family in line. You have three days to settle your affairs and leave, lest you will be evicted by force."

Yuni started to leave, but stopped and turned around, casually twirling the karambit on her finger. "However, I am not completely heartless. I will give you a chance to save your home. As you have witnessed, I am very skilled in both Karate and Silat – the styles of my parents. It's been a while since I've had a decent workout, and sad to say, the Anything Goes style is lacking. Give me the challenge of a lifetime, and I will cancel the debt, win or lose."

"Name the place," Akane spat, ignoring the pain. "I'll take you on. Anytime, anywhere."

"Oh, you misunderstood," Yuni replied. "I don't want to fight you, as you are ten years too early to take me on. No, I want the original heir to the Musabetsu Kakuto Ryu. The one which all of you have forsaken. I believe you know who I speak."

Soun's eyes went wide, as did Genma and Nabiki's. "You...you mean...?" the Ice Queen began, causing Yuni to stop and turn around.

The next five words confirmed what Yuni wanted before the halvsie businesswoman left the Tendou compound. "Yes. Bring me Ranma Saotome."


	3. Chapter 3

**Part Three**

Nerima, one year after the Nerima Incident...

One year had passed since what was known as the Nerima Incident. The incident in which Ranma Saotome ended up nearly being killed due to the machinations of Nabiki Tendou.

Since that fateful day, things had somewhat returned to normal following the departure of most of the Nerima Wrecking Crew. Out of the group of super-powered martial artists, the Kunou clan had paid for their offense with their lives rather than take their chances with the Mamiya Clan and their infinite resources.

Aside from Cologne, Ukyou Kuonji had gotten out of this mess pretty much unscathed. Nodoka had offered her thanks in her role in saving her son's life. Her father had found out about Ukyou's selfless actions and at Nodoka's suggestion, acknowledged Ukyou as his daughter. Instead of returning home, Ukyou decided to move her shop to Azuban-Juuban, where despite the rampant youma attacks, became a popular eatery.

Happousai was the first to feel Nodoka's wrath. The founder and grandmaster of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts was found dead from a heart attack while in Roppongi. The nightclub he had snuck into to 'liberate his silky darlings' was in fact a bar frequented by cross-dressers and newhalfs, which led to his untimely demise.

Nabiki had suspected that Nodoka had a hand in Happousai's demise, but kept silent about the matter.

Cologne had closed down the Nekohanten and returned to China. Shampoo was stripped of all her honors, her ki was sealed and her memory was erased of any and all martial arts abilities as the council of elders declared her to be a disgrace, a fate worse than death for any Chinese Amazon. Cast out of the clan, with a death sentence hanging over her head, Shampoo had disappeared into the unknown.

Of course, it was Daisuke and Hiroshi who had discovered Shampoo's fate. An imported Chinese porno that one of the guys had circulated around Fuurinkan had a nude Shampoo on the cover, surrounded by six naked men – now going by the name Dawn Chow.

Mousse, on the other hand, was not as lucky. During the final day of business for the Nekohanten, Cologne had Peking duck on the menu. Said duck was stolen by Genma Saotome, who suffered a bad case of indigestion after consuming it.

Ryouga Hibiki was the one who had found Ranma in the hospital. Unfortunately, so was Nodoka, her brother and her nephew. Ryouga was tough due to the Breaking Point training, but even he could not withstand the onslaught from Nodoka, her elder brother Akira Mamiya and her nephew Kunosuke Mamiya. In the end, Ryouga was in worse shape than Ranma. The Lost Boy barely escaped with his life.

But his troubles did not stop there. Akane had found out about the curse. As it turned out, this one Nodoka had nothing to do with, as it was a pure fluke.

After the Nerima Incident, Ryouga and Akane began to date. Three months after the Incident, Genma had formally adopted Ryouga as his new heir to the Anything Goes style. But one day, as he was escorting Akane back to the Tendou home, Ryouga was splashed by the old lady who was watering her sidewalk. He was never seen in Nerima again. Ryouga sought refuge at Akari's farm, but was chased out by Akari's sumo pig. Nodoka had burned that bridge by notifying Akari of Ryouga's involvement with the near-murder of her son.

Depressed, Ryouga tried to find his way back home. He instead, ended up in the Musk Empire. Prince Herb was less than amused to see Ryouga, as a messenger bird from Cologne had notified him of his involvement in the Incident. Herb's verdict was simple: he used the Preservation Ladle to lock in Ryouga's curse. Without telling Mint and Lime as to who the pig was, he handed them over to his underlings.

Said pig also gave both men a severe case of indigestion. Fortunately, Mint and Lime were made of tougher stuff and survived.

An unfortunate casualty of the fallout surrounding the Nerima Incident was Kasumi Tendou. Originally engaged to Tofuu Ono, the young chiropractor had terminated the engagement and moved his clinic to Juuban six months after the Incident. Nabiki had later confronted Tofuu and gave him two choices: take Kasumi back or she will use all of her power to make his life a living hell.

However, Nabiki failed to realize the influence that the Ono family had when it came to Tokyo University. Nabiki was arrested while in class and held in jail for several days. Turns out that the Ono family was just as wealthy as the Mamiya clan, and as Nabiki would later find out, one of the biggest sponsors of Toudai's medical program. Kin Ono did not take too kindly of Nabiki threatening her son.

Kin had threatened to pull the funding out from Tokyo University unless the college revoked Nabiki's scholarship and had her blacklisted from the university. Once the deans had caved in to her demands, Kin confronted Nabiki herself. Kin notified the imprisoned Tendou that she was blacklisted from Toudai, and unless she agreed to keep away from her son, then she would not be released from jail. Nabiki had no other choice but to agree to Kin's demands.

Unknown to Nabiki was the fact that she knew about Soun's wife being of Ainu ancestry (as the Ono family and the Mamiya clan were longtime friends), and Nodoka had passed on the information to Kin. Kin had no problem with the Ainu, but the fact that Soun had married a prostitute and that his youngest children were half-breed bastards did not sit right with her. So she told Tofuu, who in turn terminated the engagement with Kasumi. He did not tell Kasumi the reason why, but did not reveal Kasumi's lineage to her as per his mother's instructions.

Blacklisted from Toudai, Nabiki enrolled into Waseda University. At the same time, Akane began her senior year at Fuurinkan High School. With Ranma gone, Akane was the top martial artist of the school.

However, three weeks into the school year, a new family had moved into the town, and a new student had usurped Akane's top spot as the school's idol.

* * *

Fuurinkan High School.

From the second-story window, Akane Tendou watched with great disdain as the boys surrounded the school's idol. Unlike her previous year in which they had to fight her in order to date her, the boys this time around did no such thing. Instead, they presented flowers, candy, poems of love.

From what Nabiki had found out, the girl was the youngest of three siblings – one brother and two older sisters. Their parents had retired and had passed on the family business to the eldest son, Shinji Kazahana. From what she found out, it was something regarding information. Shinji was married to a woman from southern Japan, who was the new principal at Fuurinkan. Nabiki knew the second eldest sister, as she was in several of her classes in Waseda University. The middle sister – Kokoro Kazahana – was a famous swimsuit and racing model and actress who lived in Tokyo.

And then there was her rival, the youngest of the siblings. Mari Kazahana. There were rumors of her being promiscuous, but those were later revealed to be false. She was dating a boy, but he was not a student at Fuurinkan. Nabiki found out that he was a freshman at Toudai, a major in physical education.

At first, Akane dismissed her as a threat. Then Mari took the role of Juliet in the school play. Second, she was a very talented cook in the kitchen, having learned from her sisters, whereas Akane's cooking could count as weapons of mass destruction. Next, despite Nabiki's machinations, Mari was elected class president. The next thing that made Akane insanely jealous was that she was better martial artist than her, having been trained by her brother in Akido, as well as being an expert in Muay Boran, which was her main style.

Last, she had taken Akane's top spot as the school's idol.

Mari Kazahana was seventeen, with short dark hair (ala Ada Wong's RE4 do) and green eyes. She wore a pair of stylish reading glasses, but her vision was correct. On top of that, she had a body which reminded Akane of Shampoo. Despite her status as the most popular girl in school, Mari remained humble and earned the respect of her fellow classmates and faculty.

"I can't stand her," Akane muttered as she watched Mari walk towards the school. "She thinks she's Little Miss Perfect."

Standing beside her, were Yuka and Sayuri. Ever since the Nerima Incident, they remained friends with Akane, but watched her with a wary eye, as they had witnessed Akane brutalizing Ranma's skull with her mallet. That was followed by Akane trying to kill Ryouga upon finding out about his curse. The girls knew that Akane was insanely jealous of Mari because she was everything that Akane was not.

Akane had not even tried to make friends with her because of her jealousy. In her eyes, she was automatically cast aside by the other students and they threw in their lot with Kazahana.

But it was only a matter of time before that jealousy would blow over.

Akane stormed from the window. Yuka and Sayuri exchanged glances. They knew that Akane was going to do something very stupid.

* * *

When Mari arrived at the school's front doors, she saw Akane waiting for her. "Something you want Tendou?" Mari asked. In her mind, the mallet-wielding girl was no threat.

But even Mari was getting tired of Akane's accusations of her cheating whenever Akane lost to her, be it the school play or the election for class president.

"You're damn right, there's something I want!" Akane snapped. "I was the best martial artist! I was the best this school has to offer! Me! Then you showed up and took everything from me!"

Mari cocked one eyebrow. "You're kidding, right? I took nothing from you. I earned it."

Akane ignored her. "I challenge you to a match! A match to see who is the true idol of Fuurinkan High!"

"A match to see who is the true idol of Fuurinkan, huh?" Mari took a moment to think about that for a moment. She could have said no, but the thought of putting the arrogant Tendou in her place proved to be very enticing for her. "And when would you like for me to splatter you all over the schoolyard?"

"One week from today," Akane replied. "If I win, not only will you acknowledge me as the better martial artist, but you will also give up your seat as class president and give it to me!"

Mari shrugged her shoulders. "Suit yourself. But I will not lose to you, Tendou. In fact...I'm gonna make you say 'matte' in front of everybody here. When I win, you will acknowledge me as the better fighter," she said, her tone casual as if she was asking about the weather. "By the way, our match is going to be full contact, anything goes."

That said, Mari stepped aside Akane and entered the school.

* * *

Waseda University, later on...

Turns out that Akane wasn't the only one with problems regarding a female Kazahana.

Nabiki's chief rival was Samara Kazahana. A business major with a ruthless streak, she was more than a match for Nabiki in skill and cunning. Nineteen years old and a sophomore in Waseda, Samara was not impressed with the Ice Queen of Nerima, and made her point known when Nabiki confronted her during class one day.

However, Samara made it clear that she could just as easily crush Nabiki and not lose any sleep over it. Much to Nabiki's surprise, she also knew about the Nerima Incident.

"I know what you are thinking, Nabiki," Samara had replied. "You are going to destroy me. Far better people had tried...and failed. You may think you're good at this game...but I'm better. This is the big leagues, little girl. No one from Nerima is here to save your neck...especially your sister's ex-fiance. Take that into consideration should you wish to continue down this path."

Nabiki knew that Samara was right. Ranma was clearly off limits, and her father was pretty much useless. So Nabiki kept her distance from Samara.

Until today.

The phone call came from one of her underlings back home. Akane had just challenged Mari to a match to see who was the top idol of Fuurinkan High. No holds barred. Full Contact. Anything Goes.

Nabiki turned her head to Samara, who had just received the news via text from her cellphone. Pocketing the item, she gathered her books and started to leave, but was stopped by the Ice Queen of Nerima.

"I take it you heard about your sister's match with Akane?" Nabiki asked, smirking.

"I've heard," Samara replied, obviously uninterested. "I really don't see why I should be bothered with this."

"Think that your dear sister might lose?" Nabiki prodded, hoping to get a response.

"Quite the opposite. Akane is not a challenge for her."

"So prove it," Nabiki replied. "Put your money where your mouth is. You back Mari, and I'll back Akane."

Samara thought about it for a moment. "Done. But...from what I've heard, Mari will make Akane submit. She does that, you pay triple."

"And if Akane knocks Mari out, you pay triple," Nabiki replied.

"Deal."

The two girls shook on it.

* * *

Nabiki's network of informants and spies were working overtime on getting any dirt on Mari and Samara Kazahana. Anything for Nabiki to gain an edge over her rival in order to force Mari to take a dive. Aside from that, most of the bets were in Akane's favor, which meant she would make a killing should her sister win.

Akane, on the other hand, was training like mad. That is, if breaking bricks and punching out Ranma-shaped training dummies count as training. Since the match was Anything Goes, Akane could use her mallet. Despite what she knew by word of mouth, Nabiki had no video of Mari practicing. Any of her underlings attempting to spy on the Kazahana compound ended up in the hospital and the video equipment shattered.

Those that did not end up in the hospital were arrested by the Nerima police. Not even when she told the cops that she was working for Nabiki, they still wouldn't release her, despite the fact that Nabiki had dirt on several of the cops (which explained why Akane was not in jail for assault), not to mention that they would not let Nabiki visit her underlings, as they were in solitary confinement.

Their response to Nabiki despite her demands was that they had higher orders.

* * *

Fuurinkan High School – the day of the match.

Nabiki watched as Akane warmed up and stretched. Her henchwomen were busy as always, placing bets on her sister to win the match. After all, no one would dare to bet against Akane after what had happened with Ranma. Genma and Soun were also present, rooting for Akane.

Nabiki grinned. She was certain that Akane would get the win.

At that moment, Mari Kazahana arrived. Unlike Akane, who was dressed in a karate gi, Mari was dressed in a black tanktop, and a pair of black-and-red boxing trunks. Boxing tape was wrapped around her hands, wrists, ankles and feet.

Flanking her were her siblings. Shinji Kazahana was the eldest of the siblings, thirty years old, with slicked back dark hair and a goatee. He was dressed in a suit for the occasion, all black. His wife, the principal of Fuurinkan High (and more sane and competent than her predecessor) was at his side. Next was the famous idol, Kokoro Kazahana. She was there to support her sister, despite having left a photo shoot looking like a Gothic Lolita. Last, was Samara Kazahana.

The fight was to take place in the school courtyard, and everyone was in attendance. As Mari walked into the impromptu arena, Samara walked over to Nabiki.

The Tendou mercenary grinned. "Looks like the odds are in my favor, Kazahana," she said as Mari began to perform the _Wai khru ram muay_. For a practitioner of Muay Thai or Muay Boran, the wai khru ram muay was a ritual dance which also served as a warm-up for the match. As such maches were fought before the Thai kings, the dance also serves as an apology to the King for the brutality in the fight.

"It means nothing," Samara replied, shrugging her shoulders.

Nabiki grinned. "We'll see. Just remember to pay triple when Mari loses."

'You wish,' Samara thought darkly. One thing she failed to mention about her younger sister was that she was the junior martial arts champion. The look on Nabiki's face would be priceless once Mari makes Akane submit.

One of Nabiki's underlings stood in between Mari and Akane. "The rules of this match are very clear. Full contact. Anything goes. You can win by knockout or submission." To Akane, the underling said, "And try not to kill anyone."

Akane snorted. "Whatever."

The underling turned to Mari. "Mari Kazahana, ready?"

Mari nodded and stood in place, not going into a stance.

The underling turned to Akane. "Akane Tendou, ready?"

"Yeah!" Akane shouted as she went into her stance.

At that moment, Samara snapped her fingers. "Oh! I forgot to mention one thing about Mari," she said to Nabiki.

"What's that?" the Ice Queen asked.

"Aside the fact that she is a black belt in both Muay Boran and Akido, that you probably already know," Samara rattled off, "she's also the junior martial arts champion in the Tokyo region."

Nabiki's eyes went wide at that little revelation.

"Ready...and GO!" the underling shouted as she ran back to the sidelines.

At the same time, Akane charged, her fist cocked back for a knockout punch. With a bored look on her face, Mari ducked, and slammed her elbow into Akane's face. Akane went down, falling into a heap, blood pouring from the nose as Soun screamed Akane's name.

"Is that it?" Mari asked, bored. She turned to Nabiki. "I expected more out of her. Call the match. It's over."

"NO!"

Mari turned around. Akane was back on her feet. "I'm not done yet!"

Mari smiled. Then she went into a Muay Boran stance. From the sidelines, Genma looked worried. He had spent time in Thailand during the training trip, and knew just how formidable Muay Boran was. He tried to warn Akane, but she refused to listen.

Genma winced as Mari's knee met Akane's jaw, Akane falling to the ground yet again. But the youngest Tendo wasn't down for long. Genma saw why, and grinned. Mari had hopped out of the way, as Akane's fist had left an impact crater in the ground. Akane had somehow acquired a second batch of Super Soba noodles and consumed it, giving her superhuman strength.

Nabiki had paid a pretty penny for the batch of Super Soba, as she wanted to see Samara knocked down a couple of pegs. But Samara didn't look worried as Mari danced around Akane, tagging her with punches, knees and elbows. Following a butterfly twist to avoid Akane's wide mallet swing, Mari countered with a knee to the face, knocking Akane down again. A second elbow to the face knocked Akane back down again.

Akane got back to her feet and charged, hoping to get in close so she could grapple Mari into submission. "Predictable," Mari snorted as she sidestepped the attempt, grabbed Akane's extended wrist, and twisted the arm to the point where it looked like Akane was forced to bow at the waist.

**SMACK-SMACK-SMACK-SMACK-SMACK-SMACK.**

Mari struck Akane's head repeatedly with her first, her opponent's head rocking violently to the side with each blow, which was followed by an akido hip toss, sending Akane to the ground.

"So...Little Miss Martial Artist..." Mari began, "who do you think will win? Me, the junior martial arts champion? Or the wannabe martial artist who doesn't have a chance in hell of beating me? Save yourself the trouble and just forfeit. Less painful for you."

At that, the people who had placed their bets on Akane had become very angry. Nabiki glared at Samara, who whistled innocently as the fight continued.

Akane got back up again, despite the throbbing pain in her head, and attacked again with her mallet.

"Your funeral," Mari replied. "Today, you shall be the ass-kick-ee, while I will be the ass-kick-er."

When Akane overextended her reach, Mari moved in and kicked the mallet out of her hands, right before unleashing a volley of elbows on Akane's face. Left elbow, right elbow, left upper elbow, right upper elbow, which Mari finished with an overhead elbow strike to Akane's skull, knocking her back to the ground.

Now the fight was in Mari's favor. Her attacks were precise, no wasted movement. Straight punches to Akane's face caused one eye to close. An uppercut ended with Akane biting her tongue. A kick to the stomach caused her to vomit up the Super Soba. Mari leapt into the air, her left leg extended to strike Akane in the face. Akane saw it coming and ducked, but failed to notice Mari's right leg lashing out, catching her square in the face. Mari was back on her feet and landed another punch to Akane's face.

When Akane tried to kick her, Mari countered it, and flung her to the ground, where she landed facedown. Before Akane could get back up again, Mari leapt into the air, and drove her knee into her spine, causing Akane to cry out in pain.

With Akane pinned, Mari grabbed her right arm and twisted it backwards in a bone-breaker move.

"Say it! Say it, Akane!" Mari shouted.

"Fuck you!" Akane shouted back.

"Wrong answer!" Mari shouted as she yanked back on Akane's arm. A sickening **POP** was heard as Mari dislocated Akane's arm out of its socket. Mari then dropped the useless arm and Akane felt Mari's hands on her head, twisting it to the point of breaking.

"Say it!" Mari shouted. "Say it in front of everyone! Say it now or I will snap your neck!"

"AAAAHHHH! Matte! Matte!" Akane screamed as her other hand tapped the ground repeatedly.

Mari did not let up. "Who is the idol of Fuurinkan? Who is the best female martial artist in Nerima?"

"You are! YOU ARE!"

"Good." Mari released her hold on Akane. "Never forget that, Tendou."

With the exception of Soun wailing about his baby girl, the crowd was silent. Nabiki was furious. Not only did Akane lose, but she lost a lot of money.

Mari didn't look barely winded in the slightest. In fact, she looked disappointed. "Hell, the competition was a lot better back in the junior tournaments. This was a joke."

Holding her dislocated shoulder, Akane got back to her feet. Upon seeing that Mari's back was facing her, she reached for her mallet. Hefting it with one hand, she let out a scream and charged, hoping to cave in Mari's head as she tried to with Ranma one year ago.

Samara saw the sneak attack and thought one thing. 'This isn't going to end well.'

Mari grabbed a juice box from a spectator, spun around, shoved it in Akane's face, and squeezed. Orange juice spilled out, splashing onto Akane's face, blinding her.

**CRUNCH.**

The gathered students winced as Mari unleashed a rising knee, which knocked Akane out cold. Samara, in the meantime, collected her winnings, Nabiki being outright furious over the fact that her sister had lost, and that she had lost to Samara once again.

Samara turned to Nabiki and gave a small bow. Even the bow screamed, 'Fuck you' to Nabiki. The Kazahana clan the left the arena without a single word.

* * *

Three days had passed and the news had spread like wildfire. Akane Tendou had lost her match against Mari Kazahana. Despite the witnesses that saw Akane lose the match fair and square, Akane claimed that Mari had cheated. But the results were clear. Akane was not a martial artist, but a thug.

Mari was humbled following her victory. She did not gloat over it. After all, she kicked Akane's ass with plenty of witnesses.

As a result, Akane lost her remaining friends and admirers. And it all came to a head when Akane tried to ambush Mari while she was at home.

Nabiki frowned as she hung up the phone. Her sister was currently held in Nerima's police station.

Apparently, Akane had tried to ambush Mari while at a family gathering inside their home. Even more worse was that she tried to mallet two of her relatives who had tried to stop her. After Akane had gotten beaten down by Mari once again, the police were summoned and had carted Akane away. Once again, Nabiki had tried to use her clout with the local police to have Akane released.

When they refused, Nabiki reminded them that she still had dirt on both men, and wanted her sister released within the hour. Surprisingly, the police told her respectfully to fuck off.

Then, Nabiki received a second call. She was expecting it to be from one of her underlings. Instead, it was Samara Kazahana.

"If you want Akane to see daylight, come to my home. We have much to discuss. Your refusal would be most unwise."

* * *

Kazahana Compound, night.

Inside the study of the Kazahana home, Nabiki sat in front of Samara Kazahana, who sat behind her brother's desk, her laptop open. Standing beside her was an older man, around the age of her father, looking quite dapper in his dark business suit.

"What do you want?" Nabiki demanded, not used to being ordered around.

Samara's expression was calm. "No need to be rude, Tendou. I just asked you to come by for a friendly chat."

The hairs on Nabiki's neck began to rise. This was the same method she used whenever she had some dirt on her intended targets.

Samara gestured to the man standing beside her. "This is my uncle, Hayate Kazahana, of the Koanchosa-sho. He was present during our sisters' match...and he was also present when Akane tried to assault Mari earlier."

"The Public Security Intelligence Agency?"

Hayate nodded. "One and the same. Normally, I would turn a blind eye as to what my niece does, but your sister attempted to cause bodily harm to my son and daughter. This...is something that I cannot forgive, as I am forced to act."

"You're wondering why your sister was not released when you talked to the cops?" Samara asked. "Easy. My uncle has quite the influence within law enforcement. As for you, you no longer have any leverage on them. The computer shop where you had your laptop and computer repaired? The employees work for my brother. All I had to do was ask nicely for the info stored on your hard drives. Once I told the police that your leverage on them was gone, not to mention who my uncle was, they decided to keep Akane in jail for a little while longer. But I got plenty of dirt...on you."

Nabiki retained her cool. "Are you threatening me? You know I love empty threats."

"No threats. Just cold, hard facts," Samara replied, interlocking her fingers Gendou Ikari-style. "Your greatest sin is pride. In fact, the Christian Bible has a verse on the sin of pride that I like very much. Proverbs 16:18. 'Pride goes before the destruction, and a haughty spirit before the fall.'"

"Your problem is that you think yourself to be untouchable," Hayate continued. "So what's stopping me in having Nerima's finest hauling you away and putting the National Tax Agency on your doorstep? Information, Nabiki. That is what the Kazahana deals with. My family made quite a living as information brokers. We research our quarry."

"Then, we either blackmail them or sell that information to their enemies," Samara said. "You and I are the same, Nabiki. Only difference is that you are a shadowy reflection of me."

"So get to the point. What do you want?"

Samara smiled. "You want Akane out of jail? It will cost you. Your racketeering and betting pools have made some serious coin over the years. I want sixty percent of your overall profits."

Nabiki rose from her seat. "You just screwed with the wrong mercenary, Kazahana. Both of you. I will make not only your life hell, but your sister as well."

As Nabiki reached the study's door, she was frozen in her tracks when Hayate began to speak. "In that case, give your father my regards. So tell me...how is Soun? Is he still a member of the Nerima Council? Although, he and Genma Saotome might not be healthy enough to understand the ramifications of your actions should you walk out that door."

Nabiki was frozen as Hayate continued to turn the knife.

"Although...if you need anymore convincing, I'm just as partial to Kasumi. In fact, I know her **very** well."

Nabiki turned around. "What...?"

Samara smirked. "So the Ice Queen does have a weakness after all. Like I said, gathering information is a Kazahana specialty. Not as good as Ranma's family, but we take pride in our work. We deal with all sorts of people; the government, the Yakuza, even businessmen, as long as the price is right. So imagine my surprise when Uncle Hayate here picked up a young woman from a bar in Kabukicho who had just recently been dumped by her fiance for reasons unknown. They had a...tryst stand inside a love hotel."

Samara punched in several keys and spun the laptop around.

Nabiki's eyes went wide as the color drained from her face.

"YES! OH! OH MY! HARDER! DEEPER!"

Kasumi, naked, in the throes of drunken passion with Hayate himself. The hidden cameras clearly showed her face as he plowed into her from behind, Hayate's face covered with a mosaic.

Nabiki sank back in the chair.

"Even though I am a widower, I do get the occasional itch," explained Hayate. "And dear, chaste Kasumi was the one who scratched it. She was very sweet...and very pink," he added in a lecherous tone. "In fact, she was so nice, that I fucked her twice."

Samara turned the laptop back around and paused the video. "Imagine my surprise when I found out that the woman in the video was none other than your older sister. The video is already a big hit in America. Over a million hits and counting. I haven't released it here...yet. Imagine...sweet, not-so-chaste Kasumi as a porn star. All I got to do is press 'Enter' and I will stream this video over the internet here."

Samara then tapped the button. "And that is that."

"NO!" Nabiki shouted.

"Oopsie. That was the 'shift' button," Samara said, chuckling. "Your sister is safe...for now."

Nabiki breathed out a sigh of relief. But she knew that this wasn't going to end well for her.

"So...how do you like my 'empty threats' so far?" Samara taunted. "Now the demand is seventy-five percent. I'm sure the Yakuza would be very interested in seeing how Kasumi works in their soapland brothels..and they'll take all of your profits and force you to work for them. One phone call is all that is needed. And here, I'm giving you a bit of leeway."

"This is extortion! You're blackmailing me!" Nabiki accused. "That money goes to my family!"

"Bullshit. Your family has been living off of your mother's life insurance. You make money just for the hell of it."

"But..."

Samara shrugged her shoulders. "Not like you did the same to innocent people. But I prefer to call it good business. Refuse, and what was it you said to me...'I'll make your life hell.' Kasumi will be the first. I can release it to our classmates in a mass e-mail. Just imagine...the sister of the 'Ice Queen' in her own homemade porno. I think I would also release it to your high school alumni. And imagine what kind of reaction the video would get from the various criminal organizations. I heard the Red Mafiya pays a handsome price for such a woman. And let's not go into what the Albanian sex traffickers would do..."

Nabiki was shaking her head, as it this was a bad dream. "No..."

"Akane...well, an altered birth certificate does wonders when you want to send someone to prison," continued Hayate. "She'll have the honor of being the first teenager to be sent to an adult prison before she's legal. On second thought...forget about making your life hell. I'll just simply destroy you, and not lose any sleep over it. I will destroy you, your family, and your elder sister will be known as the town bicycle. Who knows...maybe she will be a big hit at the Yakuza-owned soapland brothels in the red-light district. So, Tendou...yes...or no?"

Nabiki slumped her shoulders. She had not felt this helpless since her mother had died. But she had no other choice. "Okay. You win."

"Good to see you're not stupid." Samara then produced a contract. "Sign the papers. Better make this binding and legal. And add your hanko to it."

Nabiki did as she was told. Samara then signed the contract, and sealed it. "Pleasure doing business with you Nabiki."

"And Akane?"

"Akane will be released and will be waiting for you when you get home. I give you my word. As for this video, I'll hold on to it. Just to be sure that you know your place. I will be expecting payment come tomorrow." As Nabiki rose from her seat, Samara decided to let loose one final parting shot. "Not so fun when you're on the receiving end, isn't it, Tendou? Remember this night. I own Akane...I own Kasumi...I even own your ass. You're no longer in charge of Nerima. I am. But to keep up appearances, you will still be the Ice Queen of Nerima. But you will answer to me and me only. Now get out."

Nabiki gave Samara one more hate-filled glare before storming out of the study.

Hayate took the copy of the contract and left the study. Minutes later, Mari entered the study. Minutes later, Mari entered the study. "Well?"

Samara grinned. "What was that line from that gaijin show that Dad used to watch? 'I love it when a plan comes together?' That was pretty devious, even for you, little sister. Dad would be very proud of you."

Mari smiled. "I learned from the best, after all. The fact that Kasumi was a star in an impromptu porno gave us the advantage. Pretty nice bluff with releasing the video overseas."

"Thank you."

It was after the last time that Akane had accused Mari of cheating that Mari finally had enough. It was when she had identified Kasumi in the video with the Yakuza that she began to plan with Samara. A plan which would ultimately dethrone the Ice Queen.

The police that Nabiki had dirt on and the computer shop where Nabiki had gotten her computer repaired was more than willing to help. As it turned out, one cop was taking money on the side, while another was having an affair. Once Nabiki found out, she had both men by the balls.

Mari and Samara then formulated a plan against the Tendou sisters; using Akane's pride as a martial artist and Nabiki's love of money and of her sisters against the both of them. Mari even planned as far as to beating Akane down within an inch of her life when she tried to ambush her again, but opted for calling the cops on her instead.

"You could have gone for broke and take everything Nabiki had. Why didn't you?" Mari asked.

"I could have, but it would be unfair and ungenerous of me to do so," Samara replied. "I am no tyrant, but Nabiki still needed to be humbled. The choice of paying us the cash or facing up to twenty years in prison and having your sister outed as a whore tends to do that to some people."

"And my cut?"

"You'll get that tomorrow," Samara replied.

Mari nodded and returned to her room. Samara leaned back in her seat and smiled at her victory.

* * *

Tendou Home.

Sure enough, Nabiki saw that Akane had been released from jail and was in the furo. Soun and Genma were crying tears of joy following Akane's release from jail.

Nabiki passed the kitchen and saw that Kasumi was inside, preparing the evening meal. As she watched Kasumi cook, she remembered the day that Tofuu had dumped her and Kasumi was out all night. Nabiki assumed that she was at a friend's house, and had left it at that.

Instead, she was getting her brains fucked out by Samara's uncle.

"Is something the matter, Nabiki?"

Kasumi's voice snapped Nabiki out of her thoughts. "Um...nothing. I'm not hungry, so I'll be skipping dinner."

"Oh. Okay then."

Nabiki departed from the kitchen and headed for her room. Once the door was locked, she slid down against the door as the totality of the day's events had played out in her mind.

Nabiki Tendou was known for her mercenary ways, that she always got what she wanted one way or another. Now, someone else had used her own tactics against her, using her own sisters as clout. And now, there was nothing that Nabiki could do.

The helplessness returned with a vengeance as Nabiki remembered Samara's final words to her.

_"I own Akane...I own Kasumi...I even own your ass."_

With that thought, Nabiki Tendou broke down and cried.


	4. Chapter 4

**Part Four**

Snafu's Notes: Good News! The story is not dead. I had actually lost the taste to write this, which is why I haven't updated it. But I was inspired to write again after finishing **Mortal Kombat: Consequences**.

Tendou Home – following Yuni's departure.

"Young lady, I am very disappointed in you," Soun said, looking down on Nabiki. "What where you thinking when you made such a deal with that woman?"

"Unlike you," his middle child shot back, "I've been doing everything to make sure we have a roof over our heads." She pointed at Genma, who had an icepack on his jaw. "I told you that you should have thrown him out or have him work for his room and board. Honor means crap when you have the threat of being homeless hanging over your head."

She also left out the payments she made to Samara in the past. Since then, the sex tape with Kasumi was not the only thing Samara had over Nabiki's head. When she tried to set up a racket in order to pay for her tuition to Waseda by selling answers to the exams, Samara caught wind of it and demanded that she handed over half of the profits.

It was the first time that Nabiki had stood up to Samara and refused.

Days later, an anonymous tip came in in regards to stolen exam answers, and Nabiki was mentioned by name. Despite being careful, the university officials found the missing exam answers on her person and inside her dorm. Despite Nabiki's claims that they had been planted on her and inside her dorm (which surprisingly, was true), she was expelled from Waseda altogether. This time, the stain of disgrace would follow her, as she was now blacklisted from attending any university in Japan.

But Samara was not finished, as she has decided that Nabiki had no more use for her, and promptly cut her off, seizing full control of Nabiki's rackets. Samara was now the new Queen of Nerima, and a more benevolent one than Nabiki. Nabiki could not go to the police, as she and the rest of her family were on their shit list for her past transgressions.

With her rackets now under Samara's full control, Nabiki had no source of income for herself and her family, which is why she proposed the catering service. Things had been going well, but they were still in the red, due to Genma and Soun's pub crawls using the revenue generated from the catering service.

That was two years ago. Samara had long since graduated from Waseda, with honors. Mari had also graduated from Fuurinkan High, and was in her second year at the Tokyo University Of The Arts on a scholarship. But before heading for Hawaii on a business internship at a software firm, Samara had given the town of Nerima a gift. She had dissolved all of Nabiki's rackets and cancelled out their debts.

With Samara gone, Nabiki had began to rebuild her lost kingdom, the Ice Queen of Nerima returning with a vengeance. In less than six months, Nabiki had half of Nerima under her control.

Nabiki would not get the chance to get the other half, as it was already under control by the Suzuhara brothers. Hiroyuki Suzuhara was the younger of the Suzuhara brothers, and his wife, Yumi, owned a popular teahouse in Nerima. His elder brother, Eikichi, was the muscle to his elder brother's brains, and ran a motorcycle shop on the outskirts of the town. Not to say that Hiroyuki wasn't willing to get his hands dirty when the occasion called for it.

Unlike Nabiki, whose methods involve blackmail and extortion, the Suzuharas were loan sharks. It took only one past incident in which one of their marks was sent to the hospital for Nerima to realize that paying the Suzuharas what they were owed would not only keep them happy, but out of the hospital. However, if one was unable to pay, then their home or business was turned over to the brothers as payment, and they would end up working for them until the debt was cleared.

The Suzuhara brothers also were the former leaders of a violent bozosuku with Yakuza connections, as their uncle was the oyabun of an influential Yakuza clan. The only reason why they gave Nerima a wide berth was because of the super-powered martial artists there. The Suzuhara brothers were on friendly terms with the Kazahanas, as their uncle were friends with Hayate Kazahana.

The Suzuhara brothers had dismissed Nabiki as a threat, due to Samara humbling her. They were more than willing to leave her alone. But Nabiki had, in Hiroyuki's words, 'gotten too big for britches,' when she made the critical mistake of attempting to extort money from his wife, threatening to bring down the health inspectors on her teahouse if she refused to comply.

But that wasn't the only grievance that the Suzuharas had with Nabiki. Around the same time, Akane had challenged an old acquaintance of theirs from their old bozosuku days. Nabiki, both seeing an opportunity and to preserve Akane's health, formed a betting pool and used her remaining loyal henchwomen to drug the other fighter's water. Akane had soundly beaten the opponent, and proclaimed her superiority as Nerima's best martial artist. Nabiki had made her bet on Akane, and had won a lot of money.

Big mistake.

The Suzuharas discovered through a friend of theirs in the hospital, that their buddy had been drugged. Through their contact with the police force, they discovered that the persons responsible had done so on Nabiki's orders.

The Suzuhara brothers' reaction was instant. Within days, Nabiki's henchwomen had vanished. Days later, Akane herself had been kidnapped. The police were of no help when Soun and Nabiki had reported Akane's disappearance, seeing as how they once were under Nabiki's thumb and was forced to look the other way when it came to Akane's repeated assaults on the male gender.

Then, Nabiki herself was abducted.

* * *

[Flashback]

_Inside what was the Nekohanten, some months earlier._

_Stripped down to her undergarments (as her camera and tape recorder had been confiscated and destroyed), and blindfolded, Nabiki had been hauled to what was once the Nekohanten, now an empty building. _

_Waiting for her, were the Suzuhara brothers, Eikichi and Hiroyuki, the former standing behind and to the side of his brother, who was seated at a table, which was placed in the middle of the dining area. On Hiroyuki's left, was a TV._

_The two brothers watched as Nabiki was forced into a chair placed in front of them, her breasts bouncing within her bra as she was forcibly seated. A nod from Hiroyuki and the blindfold was removed from Nabiki's eyes. She recognized the Nekohanten almost instantly, but wisely kept her mouth shut, given that she was surrounded by nine heavily-muscled men._

_Nabiki looked at the two brothers. While the elder had a cross look on his face, the younger took a sip of his tea before speaking._

_"Ambition. In this business, that's what it comes down to: ambition," Hiroyuki began. He then caught himself. "No...let me rephrase that. Limitation is a much better choice. And there's the importance of knowing your own limitations, Miss Tendou."_

_"..." If looks could kill, then Hiroyuki would be atomized by Nabiki's Ice Queen glare._

_"Take Samara Kazahana, for example," Hiroyuki said. "She built her reputation as an information broker, a Kazahana specialty. But she became even more famous when she took over your rackets, and later dissolved them when she left for America. But she knew where her limits are. She knew who not to piss off."_

_Nabiki's blood ran cold as one of the men handed Eikichi a Beretta pistol. The elder Suzuhara pulled the slide back, Nabiki seeing that there was a bullet loaded into the chamber. He then stepped forward and placed the gun on the table, just out of reach. This was followed by a hiltless tanto...and a pair of gambling dice._

_"Focus, Miss Tendou," Hiroyuki said. "Don't mind my brother for the moment." He took another sip of the tea. "I pride myself on being a...reasonable man. Some consider me to be even ambitious. My brother prefers to use his fists to get his point across. But I digress. In this business, Miss Tendou, you have to take things one step at a time. Unfortunately, by my reckoning, you and your sister really should have been some fucking steps from a meeting like this."_

_"We know that it was you who not only drugged our man's water prior to the match," Eikichi began, "but you crossed the line when you tried to blackmail my sister-in-law."_

_Despite her predicament, Nabiki smirked. "So you know about that, huh? I made a lot of money that day. You're just sore losers."_

_Nabiki's smirk soon disappeared when Eikichi tossed several photos down on the table. Nabiki could make out the Tendou compound in one of the photos, followed by photos of her father and Genma playing shogi in the other one. Nabiki also saw photos of Kasumi picking up groceries in the market, Akane jogging, and herself speaking to several of her underlings._

_"You're not the only one who has connections in Nerima, y'know," Hiroyuki noted. "How else did I discover your treachery when it came to your sister's match?"_

_"You probably noticed that your underlings have vanished," Eikichi continued. "They're our guests...and they were very forthcoming with information in regards to you ordering the drinking water to be spiked, not to mention your attempts at blackmail in regards to Yumi."_

_"Once they confessed, we gave them a choice," Hiroyuki said. "The gun, the knife, or roll the dice. They all chose the dice. I guess I kinda forgot to mention that when they chose the dice, the number they rolled would be the number of guys they had sex with before shipping them off to the brothels in Tokyo and Osaka."_

_Eikichi pulled out a second set of photos and tossed them down to Nabiki, whose eyes widened in horror as she recognized the women in the photos as her most loyal henchwomen, naked, covered in sweat and other bodily fluids, as they 'serviced' the men in the photos._

_"Aika was the lucky one," the elder Suzuhara continued. "She rolled 2. Keiko, on the other hand, rolled a twelve."_

_"Goes to show that you really don't care for your underlings, Miss Tendou," Hiroyuki said, picking up a remote control. "A boss gruntles the disgruntled. While it's too late for your friends, you can save your sister."_

_Pointing it at the TV, Hiroyuki pressed the power button. Nabiki's eyes widened in horror as she recognized the bound girl in the video, also stripped down to her bra and panties, also blindfolded, as her sister._

_Standing behind Akane, was twelve men, arms folded, wearing nothing but a pair of underwear._

_"The most important thing in life is family," Hiroyuki noted. "Samara realized this and used it to keep you in line. Now, you must make the choice, Miss Tendou: either pay back the money you had stolen with interest...or roll the dice, and watch as Akane pay with a fate worse than death. Of course, we'll shoot her up with enough aphrodisiac to drop a rhino. Failure to do either, and I'll roll the dice, only when I do it, Akane will pay for your arrogance twice over."_

_"You can't get away with this!" Nabiki shouted. "I'll have the police on your asses for this!"_

_In any case, Hiroyuki sounded amused. He produced his cellphone, activated the speakerphone, and called a number. After several rings, there was an answer._

_"Detective Takeda."_

_Nabiki's eyes widened. Takeda was one of the detectives in the Nerima police force whom she had dirt on in the past. Now, he was in cahoots with the Suzuharas._

"_Detective Takeda, this is Hiroyuki Suzuhara."_

_"What can I do for you, Mr. Suzuhara?"_

_"I have a question for you. If I was, shall we say, threatened by a wannabe extortionist, what should I do?"_

_"Mr. Suzuhara, you do whatever you deem necessary."_

_The gun was now in Hirouki's hand and aimed at Nabiki's forehead. He pulled the hammer back with his thumb as he continued to speak. "Uh-huh, and what if I was to kill her where she sat?"_

_Nabiki's blood once again, ran cold at Takeda's response. It would be ruled as justifiable homicide, Mr. Suzuhara."_

_This time, it was Eikichi who spoke. "What if her name happened to be Nabiki Tendou?"_

"_In that case, I would send some of my men to come and dispose of the body."_

"_Last question. What should be done in regards to Akane Tendou?" Hiroyuki asked._

"_I suggest that you make it look like an accident."_

_"Thank you, Detective, and good day." With his other hand, Hiroyuki ended the call, and lowered the gun. "This is how it's going to play out, Miss Tendou. Nerima is no longer yours. It belongs to the Suzuhara. You should be happy that we're giving you a bit of leeway with this meeting."_

_"Choose, and choose wisely," Eikichi said. "Pay what you owe to us...or watch as our friends party with your sister." He pointed to the pictures of her underlings. "And as you can see...we don't bluff."_

_"When we're done with Akane..." Hiroyuki paused to pick up the photograph of Kasumi and slowly waved it in Nabiki's face. "Kasumi will be next. Hayate told me about how he had fucked her after she was dumped by Dr. Ono. While I am happily married to Yumi, she understands why I do what I do. I take no pleasure in doing this, Miss Tendou, but you forced our hand." He turned the photo and looked at Kasumi. "She does have a nice body on her, doesn't she?"_

_"That she does," his brother said, enjoying watching Nabiki squirm. When Nabiki failed to make a decision, Eikichi swiped the dice from the table and produced a wooden cup from a nearby table. He dropped the dice in and began to shake the cup. "Guess you were wrong, brother. She's more than willing to sell out her family..."_

_"Stop! Please! Don't hurt Akane!"_

_Nabiki's shout stopped Eikichi from shaking the cup._

_"I'll do it," Nabiki surrendered. "I'll pay."_

_Eikichi set the cup down. "Good girl."_

_"The money that you won...you owe us three times over with interest," Hiroyuki announced. _

_"I don't have that kind of money!" Nabiki objected. _

_"Well, you better come up with it, and soon," Hiroyuki said. "You have three days. Come to the teahouse when you do. Just to be sure that you play nice, Akane will continue to enjoy our company. You have three days. Try anything funny, and your entire family will pay the price."_

_The blindfold was back on Nabiki's eyes and she was hauled out of the room._

[End Flashback]

It was because of this, Nabiki was forced to make a deal with the devil. Said devil happened to be Yuni Kurosawa. Nabiki had heard of her through one of her loyal employees, and Nabiki borrowed the money to pay for Akane's ransom. The ransom had been paid and Akane was released. But now...

"You should have let me fight that half-breed bitch," Akane said, not noticing her father flinching slightly. "We don't need Ranma to save our home."

"We do," Nabiki said. "As much as it pains me to say this, we need Saotome."

"But I thought he dropped his father's name and took his mother's last name," Kasumi said as she finished tending to Akane's injuries. "And Nodoka made it clear. Neither Uncle Saotome nor us can get in contact with him."

The incident with the Suzuhara brothers had left Nabiki with two remaining henchwomen who had been out of town when Nabiki raised the ire of Shin and Hiroyuki, and thus were spared their wrath. They had been keeping tabs on Ranma these past six years, but it wasn't easy.

Ranma had spent a year in physical rehab, rebuilding his strength. But what had enraged Genma was that Ranma had unlearned the Anything Goes style (but retained the aerial combat aspect of it) in favor of Akido and Kyokushin Karate. Had it not been for the threat of death from the Mamiya and that the cops and the Yakusa were looking for him, Genma would had tried to beat some sense into his son.

It would appear that the Saotome style of Anything Goes would die with Genma.

"We wouldn't be in this mess if you two idiots didn't steal the money I was going to give to Yuni," Nabiki snarled at the older men. "I borrowed that money to pay off the Suzuhara brothers when they kidnapped Akane. They found out that I rigged her match and threatened to have her gang-raped if I didn't payback the money I had stolen."

Akane snorted. "I would have beaten those perverts. I am the best martial artist in Nerima. I proved that when I caved in Ranma's skull."

Nabiki slowly turned to her younger sister. "You...are...a...joke. You claim to be a martial artist, yet all you do is jog and break bricks. Oh, and you're also a kidnap magnet."

"Like you're the one to talk, Nabiki! Who was it that had sicced the fiancees and the rest of the Wrecking Crew on Ranma when he didn't want to be your personal cash cow? That was you!" her sister retorted, poking her finger into Nabiki's chest. "And who was the one acting all smug to Nodoka, all but admitting it to her as to who was responsible for Ranma's assault? That was you!"

"And who is the reason that you're not in jail because you tried to attack Mari Kazahana out of wounded pride?" Nabiki retorted. "That was me! And who was the main reason why you wasn't fucked to death on orders of the Suzuhara brothers? It was me! I had the chance to regain all of Nerima after Kazahana had left, and you took that from me!"

**SLAP.**

Nabiki's head rocked to the side, her cheek bearing a red handprint from Akane striking her.

"You don't care for your family at all," Akane snarled. "You're a damn fraud." She turned and stormed from the room, ignoring Soun's shouts for her to come back and apologize.

Kasumi placed one hand on Nabiki's shoulder. "She's under stress, Nabiki. We all are. Just try and focus on getting Ranma to come back and help us."

Nabiki nodded. But she promised that once this was all over, Akane would pay for slapping her.

&amp;^%

Later...

Nabiki had her contacts were working overtime in trying to locate Ranma. Following his rehab, Ranma had taken remedial courses and was able to graduate from high school. He then gained a degree in Physical Education from Mizunoikan University. So far, all she got was that the former Saotome was running a popular martial arts gym in Tokyo, but she lacked a home address.

Nabiki had skipped dinner, and for good reason. She was still angry with Akane, but her sister did raise some validpoints. It had been the former Ice Queen whose wounded pride had led her family down this path...although it was far easier to admit it to herself.

Although it was six years ago, Nabiki remembered that day when Ranma finally had enough. It had been some time since the failed wedding, and with all of the crap he had to deal with on a daily basis from the fiancees (Akane included) to the rivals, Ranma had finally reached the breaking point.

[Flashback]

_Six years earlier..._

_"And where do you think you're going, boy?" Genma demanded as Ranma walked past him with a knapsack and a travel bag._

_"What does it look like? I'm leaving. I'm done with this whole engagement!" Ranma snapped back._

_"You're not leaving here, boy! Honor demands that you marry Akane and unite the schools!" Genma rebuked._

_"Then if 'uniting the schools' mean so much to you, divorce Mom and marry the tomboy," Ranma sniped. "I'm done being her human punching bag."_

_When Genma tried to reach out and grab Ranma, the pigtailed martial artist reversed the move and flung him into the koi pond. When Genma rose as a panda, Ranma booted the shogi board at him. Instant knockout._

_Soun, for his part, remained silent._

_"You're not leaving here, Saotome," Nabiki said, having watched this exchange in silence. "You still owe me for the wedding."_

_"You mean the wedding you wrecked by calling the fiancees and the rivals?" Ranma shot back. "Your fault. Not mine."_

_"Call it what you like. You're still not leaving here, Ranma. Don't forget that I still got tons of dirt on you," Nabiki threatened. _

_Ranma wasn't intimidated. "I...don't...care. You wanna make my life hell? Go ahead! It can't be any worse than it already is. The only way you're gonna stop me is if you kill me, Tendou, and that's not a line not even you're willing to cross. Now fuck off. I'm leaving this hellhole."_

_Nabiki saw that he was serious. "Okay...wait. What's it worth to you? Everyone has a price. What's yours in order to make you stay here? Half of what I bring in for your photoshoots? Name it, anything you want."_

_"You could offer me all of the money in the Bank of Tokyo and it wouldn't be enough," Ranma replied. "I'm done. I'm finished. Find another whipping boy and cash cow."_

_When Ranma reached the door, Nabiki brought her Ice Queen persona to bear. "Don't you go out that door, Ranma. You take one single step out of this house, the hell I'll bring down upon you pale as to what you've been though."_

_Ranma wasn't convinced. "Do your worst. But if you do, it will come back on you and your family ten times what you will try and do to me."_

_He slammed the door behind him._

[End Flashback]

'I should had just dropped it right then and there,' Nabiki thought. 'If I had, then we wouldn't be in this mess.'

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. She turned to the door. "Yes?"

"It's Kasumi. I brought you dinner."

"Come in."

Kasumi entered the room, holding a tray with the evening meal. She set it down on the dresser and took a seat on the bed. "Any luck?"

"I got a lead on Saotome," Nabiki replied. "He owns a gym in Tokyo. No home address, though." Nabiki ran her fingers through her hair. "I know...about the one-night stand you had with Hayate Kazahana."

If Kasumi was surprised, she didn't show it.

"Samara held it over my head. She blackmailed me into handing over my rackets in exchange for Akane's release from jail," Nabiki continued. "She had video of you and Hayate having sex. If I didn't accept her demands, then she'd release the video."

"So am I to blame?"

Nabiki shook her head. "I blame Tofuu for putting you in that situation. How was you to know that the man you fucked was Samara's uncle?"

"And I take it that Samara's the reason why you're blacklisted from attending university?"

Nabiki nodded. "Despite what Akane says, everything I did...I did it for the family, to make sure that we had a roof over our heads."

"And Ranma?"

Nabiki sighed. "That was out of wounded pride. Looking back...I had no idea as to how things would play out. Had I known that Happousai would use the moxibustion point on Ranma..."

"It's too late for regrets," Kasumi said. "Just focus on trying to find Ranma. I'll be back in an hour to pick up the dishes."

Nabiki nodded and Kasumi left her in her room. Before Nabiki could eat her dinner, her cellphone vibrated, signalling that she had a text message. Without thinking, Nabiki picked up her phone and checked the message.

It was from Yuni herself.

**I almost forgot to mention that you have a deadline in procuring Ranma Saotome. You have one week. Please don't dawdle.**

The headache from earlier was starting to return. Nabiki realized that she needed to find Ranma, and fast.

And hopefully, he doesn't hold a grudge over what had happened to him all those years earlier.


End file.
